Z9 Release Thread

[MILLIREHM]

Thanks for these comparisons. I find the i-menu becomes practical only with a EVF - even muscle memory is trained up to press the right controls. Nikon's latest set of iterations with the Z9 (compared to pro DSLRs) does seem to have fixed some gaps; but weirdly they have dropped features that work really well. The big one for me is an exposure mode cannot be assigned to a Fn control (eg spot-metering) which has been standard on many ILCs.

Utterly bizarre how Nikon unfixes what works and so many photographers rely on, and this is across many genres.

I agree
That exposure mode cant be assigned to a Fn control was already present in the D6 and one of the main downsides of this camera. The D6 had a button for metering mode (that could be used otherwise) the Z9 has not and it can't be tuned back on the top left buttons.
dont misunderstand me- I see the Z9 a great camera and Nikon improved a lot- but there are downsides

[Jan Anne]

An excellent and detailed review from a South African birder, tested with the 100-400mm, 500PF and 600/4:
https://youtu.be/MWYw4zBG5Ew

He also discusses different AF button layouts and the differences vs his personal Canon R5.

[chambeshi]

Another AF video - he gets decent hit rates if the 'Sticky' Delay setting is optimized - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z01cx7XF8i0

An excellent and detailed review from a South African birder, tested with the 100-400mm, 500PF and 600/4:
https://youtu.be/MWYw4zBG5Ew

He also discusses different AF button layouts and the differences vs his personal Canon R5.

Thanks. He's honest about his learning curve with setting up the AF etc. This review should help the audience of new Z9 owners, notably if inexperienced with the Nikon AF system and shooting banks of the Pro DSLR's - e.g. Canon user

PS He's german, based in Australia, although his accent is a mixture, some S African slant on consonants [and vewels] to my ear, particularly his a's and R's 

[Jan Anne]

PS He's german, based in Australia, although his accent is a mixture, some S African slant on consonants to my ear, particularly his a's and R's 

Ha thanks, got fooled by the accent and surroundings in his videos.

[Bent Hjarbo]

Some interesting LED screen issues
https://www.dpreview.com/interviews/8897575261/interview-sports-photographer-mark-pain-on-the-new-nikon-z9
He seems very satisfied with the camera.

[Jack Dahlgren]

I hated my Z6 for the first few weeks. I've only hated my Z9 for a day here or there. Overcoming the changes to settings, controls and learning how the camera functions best takes effort and sometimes feels like moving backwards. The latest was when I did a session using one of the shooting banks I had not put much attention to and found after shooting that I had not yet changed it from the dumb jpg only default setting.

[Michael Erlewine]

I hated my Z6 for the first few weeks. I've only hated my Z9 for a day here or there. Overcoming the changes to settings, controls and learning how the camera functions best takes effort and sometimes feels like moving backwards. The latest was when I did a session using one of the shooting banks I had not put much attention to and found after shooting that I had not yet changed it from the dumb jpg only default setting.

I hate it when I do that.

[Akira]

The latest was when I did a session using one of the shooting banks I had not put much attention to and found after shooting that I had not yet changed it from the dumb jpg only default setting.

Ouch, I can share your disappointment and self-abhorrence...

[Birna Rørslett]

I accidentally moved my Z9 into 'P' mode and found it had fallen back to jpg-only mode. There are zillions of settings on that camera and easy to miss some crucial ones in the jungle. Eventually it all works well. Just takes a few days of burn-in shooting.

[Frode]

I accidentally moved my Z9 into 'P' mode and found it had fallen back to jpg-only mode. There are zillions of settings on that camera and easy to miss some crucial ones in the jungle. Eventually it all works well. Just takes a few days of burn-in shooting.

I used to assign one of the fn- buttons (in front) to spot metering.

Is this possible with the Z9?

[Jack Dahlgren]

I accidentally moved my Z9 into 'P' mode and found it had fallen back to jpg-only mode. There are zillions of settings on that camera and easy to miss some crucial ones in the jungle. Eventually it all works well. Just takes a few days of burn-in shooting.

Yes, there are a few tigers in the jungle.

[MILLIREHM]

I used to assign one of the fn- buttons (in front) to spot metering.

Is this possible with the Z9?

Unfortunately it is not (one just can assign choice of metering mode by pressing button and dialling wheel), the same step backwards as with the D6. That would be easy for a firmware update to do- it did not take place so far) one of the few downsides of the Z9 imho

[Birna Rørslett]

I used to assign one of the fn- buttons (in front) to spot metering.

Is this possible with the Z9?

Yes.

[Jan Anne]

Basic requirement button wise would be to have a single point or small area AF with tracking under the shutter release and an Auto-area or 3D tracking under the AF-ON button like my D500 could do but my Z6 can’t, this option seems to have returned on the Z9 however.

The AF functionality is not very Nikon like imho on the Z6, to me the single point AF with subject tracking is the most useful AF area for the slow objects but to be able to use it the camera must be in the Auto-area AF which is the most unreliable AF mode on the Z6 and I have to press a Fn button to access the subject tracking mode each time after the camera is switched On.

I hope I am doing something wrong as I can’t figure out why this was designed as such as subject tracking is the most useful AF feature of the mirrorless cameras over a DSLR.

[MILLIREHM]

There is no direct option as it used to be in older Nikons. But you can use recall shooting options (configuring only metering mode)  to do it, but there is only one for each custom settings bank and its "wasted" then